Friday, 27 August 2010

Frustration & Agitation

Saturday 21st August - FC 05 Bilsthorpe (home) Drew 1-1

"One won't be enough today I'm telling you..."

When I was a nipper we used to play a game for four called "Frustration", which consisted of a pop-up dice in the middle and four counters per player; the object being to get all your counters around the board and into their "home" safely without those of any of your opponents landing on you. Basically, it depended on the roll (or pop) of the dice.

We recently bought a variation of the game for the Slushettes. It's now called Agitation but the formula remains the same; except '1' is the magic number, not '6' as was always the case when we were young.

I was reminded of both these games during the ninety minutes of football on show at Low Farm last Saturday. Both titles sum up the overriding feelings among the home players, management and supporters perfectly.

For they had just squandered a great chance to make it two out of two for the start of the season. And what's more, we didn't really start playing until the last fifteen minutes but should still have gone home with all 3pts.

That said, I'm not going to begrudge opponents FC 05 their share of the spoils. As Manager Mack acknowledged afterwards, they came with a game plan and they saw it to fruition.

In fact, they were the more enterprising of the two teams early on as a hefty shower swept across Low Farm.

But then from nowhere we were ahead. On seventeen Mozzer drives into the box, gets entangled with goalkeeper Milnes and goes over. Penalty says referee Derek Brumpton and to be fair there are few protests. Having said that, if the foul was clear-cut, given the position of Moz at the time it's perhaps surprising that no card was issued...a fact we would regret later on!

Up stepped Chav - he doesn't miss penalties - and didn't. 1-0.

Chav doesn't miss penalties...

Thoughts that the goal might settle us down are misplaced. Both Conroy and O'Rourke go close for the visitors. We need a second...and nearly get it when JC puts Farny clear but his chip pings against the bar with Milnes beaten. It's a narrow and perhaps fortuitous half-time lead.

The rain is in the air again at the interval but the Tea Hut still plays host to the assembled throng stood out front chatting over the events of the first 45 minutes, the past seven days and in some cases what seems like a whole lifetime! I am quite rightly accosted for my inadvertent omission of a couple of Player Sponsors from the programme. Thankfully they don't demand their money back and I assure them their names will be in for the Hutton Cranswick game on Bank Holiday Monday!

"I'd have had fower be noo if ah were playing"

I was busy flicking off the generator at the start of the second half when a groan from the crowd told me that we should have doubled our lead. "Easier to score" was perhaps a cruel observation but Chav's miss would prove vital.

He wasn't the only one to pass up an opportunity; Frosty bursting through on the left but unable to find the target or even force a save. I turned to Dooley Cousins (now thankfully without the rather fetching umbrella lent him by our Club Secretary) and say, "one one this". I didn't mean to sound clever and in fact hoped to God I was wrong but you know when you just get that feeling...

It came on 67 minutes. A foul just inside our half (which rather harshly also resulted in yellow for Blounty) and from the ensuing free-kick, the ball bounced back off the unfortunate Bezza just nicely for big centre-half Matt Peet to lash into the net. 1-1 and memories of last season's dropped points against the Notts outfit came scurrying back.

Mack rang the changes. Stumo and Gav on for the tiring Hutch and the slightly off-key Farny, followed soon after by AG for Smalls. And we at last began to force the pace.

A man for all seasons...nearly

Stumo was thwarted by Milnes as was Bezza as suddenly we looked like snatching a winner. More fluent approach play, a ball whipped into the box, bounces up, hits an outstretched arm and most of the 56 spectators plus eleven lads in green & gold plead with Mr Brumpton for a second penalty. Waved away.

Into injury time and - as Dooley points out - "we'll get one more chance". We do. A corner, not dealt with, drops to Chav about twelve yards out to the left of goal; he connects sweetly on the volley and the ball is top corner bound...only for Milnes to somehow get up and claw it away to safety. The chance has gone.

Hope the Swedish Branch of the Ezzie SC were impressed!

Ironically the end of the game is accompanied by the best of the weather and it's gloriously sunny walk back to the Granby for Elder Slushette and me, my mood tempered only by the frustration of this result and news of The Tigers' drawing a blank at home to Watford.

Thankfully awaiting me in the pub is a fine pint of Great Newsome Harvest's Gold, with post-match burger and chips helping alleviate the slightly melancholy feel. A couple of these and I'm already looking forward (or "forrad" as we say in these parts) to next week's first visit to Watnall Road, home of AFC Hucknall Town, a team that is already starting to attract much interest on the message boards - and a lot of it from before a ball had even been kicked. Check back next week to find out why...

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An opportunity to indulge myself. Local football, real ale, a bit of rugby league & a touch of retro music, these are just a few of my favourite things.It began life as mainly about The Eastenders of Easington and their foray into the Central Midlands Football League.But it soon learnt to digress - leaving plenty of other bits of complete and utter tosh for you to enjoy, abhor or simply ignore!

Sixty Years of The Eastenders 1947-2007

An East Ender

To Holderness people, an 'East Ender' is known as a person living in the area of land skirted by the River Humber on the one side, the sea on the other, and landwise, bounded by, roughly, Dimlington, Holmpton and Welwick, and in the middle is Easington.Easington is the place where you find the real Yorkshire philosophy and humour.The Holderness Gazette, Friday March 19, 1965

About Me

A born and bred 'East Ender' from the #HumberRiviera in God's Country.
Thanks to the wonders of North Sea Gas, I've also worked here for the past twenty-odd years.
I have a very tolerant wife and two beautiful daughters.
Outside my day job, football rules - from local grassroots at Easington United to the Premier League (& back) with the mighty Hull City.
Other sporting dalliances include the "world famous" Hull Kingston Rovers, Yorkshire Cricket and most of our national teams.
I'm involved in football administration at local level and also follow from afar an eclectic mix of teams including Millbrook (Cornwall), Hearts, Glentoran and Hannover 96.
I have a pride in my country (past & present) that sits uncomfortably in today's society, a thirst for real ale that is at odds with the current cafe-bar culture and a taste in music that can be described as "outdated". But being fashionable was never my strongest point!
Oh, and if you're wondering, "Slush" is a nickname that stretches back generations on my dad's side - probably originating from the usual mispronunciation of our surname!

Any of Easington United's four "showpiece" finals: ER County FA Intermediate Cup Final, May 1999; ER County League Junior Cup Final, May 2001; Grays Humber Premier League Cup Final, May 2004; ER County League President's Cup Final, May 2010 - all won!

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The views expressed in this blog are those of the author except where otherwise stated. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Easington United AFC from which 'A Game In Four Quarters' is totally independent.